Movie Reviews

You need to watch the original entire series (OVA)

D. Chung | NYC | 12/17/2008

(2 out of 5 stars)

"What this ends up being is a condensed, 'Cliffs Notes' version of the original six-part OVA/Miniseries, each part being approx. 30 minutes....so just looking at the math, condensing nearly three hours into 95 minutes, you can imagine how much had to be left out. I'll go through how that'll likely affect two different audiences.

If you have already seen all the episodes of the original OVA, watching this 'movie' version will feel like someone else has the remote, and is skipping through not just chapters, but entire episodes...and indeed, it does all but discard two of the earlier episodes to concentrate on the lead character Nono's journey/plot. Remember all that great stuff with Lal'C being the worshipped teen-idol hero? Gone. That sweet and sad story about Chika's brother (I think) dying of illness when she was younger? Gone. Those wild tadpole-shaped military ships and Nicola's winged sword-wielding robot? Gone. And basically...the complexity of Nono and Lal'C's relationship....GONE. Who needs it, right? (??!!) Yes, since you've seen it all before, you know what happened, but not seeing all that here becomes frustrating very early on, and I'm certain that many of you will feel that the parts that are skipped over are some of your favorites...so it's very difficult to merely sit back and take the parts you are getting.

If you haven't seen the original OVA and this is your first introduction to this title, I can't imagine anyone really understanding what's going on. Anime storylines can be confusing enough in their complete form, this will feel like a disjointed barrage of images...might as well just put on your favorite music mix and play it at a party as moving wallpaper. What's worse than not understanding it is that you won't FEEL it, either. And if you can't feel a story...there simply is no story.

By condensing the overall story like this, you not only lose the essential character relationships and developments, but also the emotional impact upon which the major plot points and grand battles/triumphs so vitally depend on. They actually mean something when you've followed the complete story, instead of just looking cool. Also, most of the parts that have been left out for the sake of making this 95 minutes contain some of the most beautiful visual and musical sequences of the entire series, so you're really loosing a gigantic part of what makes this anime title so special. Heck, just missing the music that's cut out is a crime unto itself. We're not talking subtle shades of dimension here and there, but major substance and style that those who have seen it really remember and hold onto as to what makes this anime stand out from so many other titles with space/robot/youth. The 'non-essential' stuff, as it turns out, was actually the best stuff. It's a great disservice to this anime. You lose the sense of progression and growth that each unique episode provides.

So I would urge you to get the original six-chapters of the OVA on DVD, or wait until it's all available on Blu-Ray. I figured that just seeing it on Blu-Ray, albeit chopped-up like this, would be worth it...if for nothing else but the sake of taking in the visual spectacle in HiDef (originally saw it all on my computer). It's not worth it, especially if the price of this title could easily go towards a 'real' movie. Story is what's always most important no matter how visually-impressive something is....but by condensing Diebuster (Gunbuster 2) the way they did for this edition, they not only ripped out the story, but the soul and originality that represents it. You miss out on a lot of the humor, the sweetness, the poignance, and the overall unique vibe of the piece. I'm shocked that the creators of the original allowed it to be treated this way, but it might have been out of their hands by that point, who knows? Please save yourself a regretful purchase and give this anime the attention and time it deserves. If you do, you'll treat yourself to something that you'll probably want to watch over and over. If you go with this, you'll probably wish you didn't spend the money or time on it. Yes, the picture is impressive in all its HD-glory, but it's not enough. Trust me, if you're even the mildest of anime fans, you owe it to yourself to only spend money on a complete version of this."